Now I am about seven weeks into
the change. In the past seven weeks, I have eaten meat only twice, both times
when eating out (a steak salad and some chili that contained meat). I have
drastically changed my food choices and am now eating a diet that is almost
exclusively vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, with some dairy and eggs mixed
in. I have drastically reduced my consumption of diet soda, replacing it with
iced green tea. I have eliminated nearly all junk food from my diet (if you
don't count frozen yogurt or apple chips as junk food). How is it going? Pretty well. Here are some of my observations:
1. It is easier than I thought it would be to make the changes. If a
person is going to make this type of change, summer is the best time to do it.
There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables available at this time of year,
that it is easy to forget that the meal does not include meat. It is also easy
for me to choose salads for lunch and dinner when it is hot like it has been. Fresh fruit for a snack always seems like a good idea in the summer, with the variety of yummy choices available. I
don't know if this will change in the fall, but for now that aspect is working.
I don't miss meat nearly as much
as I thought I would. Interestingly, I don't crave chicken at all. I used to
eat a lot of chicken, so I was surprised about this one. A few times early in
the process I did crave steak (as evidenced by the steak salad), but even that
has gone away. Truthfully, any cravings I get now are normally brought on by
burger commercials, and all I have to do is think about how bad most of those
are for me or how the advertisers are manipulating me, and that is enough to
put that thought to the back of my mind. I have already decided that if I do
eat meat, it is going to be quality stuff, like lean steak or pork chops, but so far
I haven't really wanted either of those enough to actually have some. The meat
cravings tend to be very short-lived. The diet soda cravings are way more
intense for me. What is it about carbonation that makes it so addictive?
2. It is fun to learn a new way of eating. I like to learn
things and try new things, so I am actually having fun with this. I am learning
about new foods that I have not done a lot with before, such as tofu, tempeh, quinoa
and other grains, and am trying new recipes. I am also learning how to use
vegetables I am familiar with in new ways.
From Incredible Smoothies: How to make a Green Smoothie |
Last night I made portobello
pizzas, not as a substitute for real pizza, but as a fun new way to work with
portobello mushrooms. A few days ago, I made a creamy cauliflower and mushroom
soup from scratch. Thanks to a recipe posted by Dr. Tom (of fixing my IT band
fame), I made eggplant subs. I have also tried my first "green"
smoothies, using kale and spinach, respectively. Some of the stuff, I have not
been crazy about and will not try again (not a fan of kale in the smoothie, but the spinach was surprisingly good). Most
of the things I have tried I have really liked.
My Little Garden |
3. It does seem to be helping with inflammation and energy levels. This
is a hard one to prove because it is so subjective. I can say very confidently
that the diet changes have made a difference with the inflammation. I am
nowhere near as sore as I was six weeks ago. The soreness after short and easy
workouts is almost completely gone, and the soreness after hard workouts is
greatly reduced. I have not had to use NSAIDs, except for after the trail marathon at Keyes Peak.
In terms of energy levels, this
is a tougher one. I do seem to have more
energy, but that could also be because my stress level from work is currently
down. I do seem to be sleeping better most of the time, but I am still having
middle age hormonal issues that sometimes interfere there. As a whole, this aspect is slightly better.
4. My
weight is coming down. Since I made
the diet change, I have not been counting calories. I have pretty much been
eating all I want, but trying to make better choices when I do. I am still
eating six meals a day, and my portions do tend to be a little out of control,
but because of the food choices I am making (more fruits and vegetables), I am
still losing weight. I have lost 3-4 pounds in the last six weeks. That is
despite having developed a serious frozen yogurt habit in the past week or so.
5. Making better food choices is not as convenient. The one drawback to
this change so far is that it does take a little more thought and planning than
my previous diet did. We are eating a lot less packaged and processed food.
Making meals from scratch, even simple meals, takes a little more time and some
planning. I think part of this is a learning curve, though. In the beginning,
it seemed like it was a lot harder to "throw together" a meal or
figure out what to have for lunch or dinner. Now that I am a little more used
to things, it is getting easier. Another aspect of the "not as convenient"
is that we shop more often, especially for fresh fruit and vegetables.
We also are doing a lot less
"fast food." Despite the fact
that many fast food restaurants now boast "healthy" choices, these
are mostly salads, and they are way overpriced and often not that good. Fast
food has been pretty much reduced to either bean and rice burritos or veggie
delight subs (which are actually quite good and only $5 at Subway).
As a whole, I am pretty satisfied
that I am on track with the nutrition and the food choices I am making. This
brings it down to the last two questions on all runners' minds: Is it helping
my running? Is it going to make me faster?
I think the answer to these
questions is yes, but it is a little early to tell for sure. I did have a trail marathon
PR last week, but I am not sure if that is diet related or course related. I am
lighter, which should result in some improvement in times. My training is going
very well. The lessened soreness is doing a lot to help with the regular
training, and I think I am running better because of it. I will know more as
time passes, but for now, I feel that I am moving in the right direction. I
feel that this piece of my overall performance is starting to come into line
with my training. Hopefully the race results over the next few months will bear
this out. I will keep you posted with updates.
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I sometimes wonder if the reduced inflammation is more from the reduction in salt on such a diet than the diet itself! Either way of course a reduction in inflammation is definitely a plus!
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